An Army Bomb Disposal Team rendered safe a historical mortar round, in Limerick City Centre this afternoon.

The Defence Forces deployed the Team in response to a request from the Gardaí­ after a member of the public reported a suspicious object washed up on the river Shannon.

The projectile was badly corroded and was found on the shore near O'Callaghan's Strand, a scenic area along the river. The Team arrived on scene at 2.25pm and Gardaí­ cordoned off the immediate area.

The War of Independence era projectile was examined in situ and is being brought brought to a secure military area where it will be destroyed by controlled explosion. Despite the age of the projectile and its poor condition, it still contained explosive material and posed a potential threat to the public.

The scene was declared safe at 2.55 pm.

Other types of call outs would include improvised explosive devices, unstable chemicals and also suspect devices found to be hoaxes.